UA athletes have a sweet deal, need responsibility

While I do not condone taking advantage of the student-athletes, as they do contribute to the well being of the university, I cannot agree with Dan Norwood's remarks in his Wednesday letter to the Wildcat.

Each player receives $880 a month? Sounds good to me. Let's look at it another way. How about instead of saying that the student-athlete plays for the university, that they represent the university. And in representing the university, he or she is generously rewarded with monies toward an education that do not need to be repaid (unlike so many of us that have never-ending student loans to pay off). Not only do they receive this gift, they also receive training and tutoring and basically have the university system at their fingertips. And on top of all of this, they are also allowed to show and develop their skills on a platform that could lead to a professional career worth millions of dollars. To me it doesn't seem as if they are under-paid, but in the case of Fox, extremely ungrateful.

The typical student pays the university to be able to earn a degree. A student-athlete is paid by the university to "earn a degree." I'd say that's a pretty significant difference.

All in all, it would seem to be a fair trade - the athlete represents the university and in return the athlete is awarded a free education and training in his/her chosen sport that could potentially be worth millions. How many of the regular students at any university can say that about their future?

Toni Wright
UA alumnus

International GTAs have more to offer to campus

While we empathize with the frustration Michael Tolle feels at having to take classes where teachers do not seem to care about educating students, we, like Shawn Steinhart and Zsuzsanna Szabo, disagree that international graduate students are not qualified to teach English. As the representatives of the English graduate students, the English Graduate Union asserts that all international Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are invaluable members of the instructional staff and the academic community. Not only do international GTAs know "the rules of English grammar," as Tolle states, but more importantly, they are educated in the conventions of academic English, with which many undergraduates are just starting to become familiar. Some students assume on the basis of an instructor's unfamiliar spoken accent that the instructor is not familiar with the English language. This is a misconception; international GTAs have an extensive knowledge of English.

International GTAs also provide perspectives that may be overlooked by many native American English speakers. After all, English is spoken not only in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and England, but various forms of English exist elsewhere, such as in India, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. And because of its pervasiveness, English has multiple variations - what many scholars refer to as "World Englishes." International GTAs know and appreciate these variations. Their knowledge can help broaden the perspectives of those who have had little experience with those variations. And as the world becomes more connected through politics, technology and globalization, international GTAs can help broaden communication skills and deepen our appreciation of the nuances of the English language. We hope that everyone will be open to learning from not only international GTAs' academic experiences, but also from their diverse perspectives.

Sung Ohm and Amy Hamilton
English Graduate Union co-chairs

Real action of football game came at halftime

I am appalled at the lack of reporting skills and coverage over the Homecoming football game. As a student that was there, I must say that the true play of the game came during halftime. Near the 50-yard line, little more than five rows up, I witnessed possibly the funniest thing that I have ever seen at a football game. One student who was loud, obnoxious and obviously intoxicated was taught a lesson in anger management. An unknown student (whom I will call Tortilla Man) brought tortillas to the game and was throwing them around after key Arizona plays. So at half time, Tortilla Man must have been fed up with the obnoxious guy and Frisbee-threw a tortilla at him. Even though it hit the guy, the tortilla seemed to have no effect; a second tortilla also had no effect. So Tortilla Man wadded up a third one and hurled it at the student's face. This third tortilla hit its mark with a huge result. The student began cussing up a storm and ran up several rows right behind him. While the student could not find Tortilla Man, he did find stadium security coming to escort him out. After he left, Tortilla Man's identity was revealed and the entire section cheered him on. So thank you, Tortilla Man, wherever you are. And for the guy that got hit on the face and then kicked out: sucks to be you.

Brian Shimek
physics senior

Wildcat should be named 'Daily Islamic Chronicle

More proselytizing from Islam was found in Monday's paper under the guise of celebrating Ramadan and the Eids in the commentary by Afshan Patel. The Wildcat should just change its name to the Daily Islamic Chronicle - that way we will know that whenever we pick up the Wildcat on an Islamic holiday we will be deluged with comments like "Islam is a religion of peace," "Allah be praised" and, of course, "Hamdu le Allah." Clearly the UA community needs a student paper dedicated solely to converting us all to Islam and teaching us every minute facet of Islamic life from the Eids to Jihad. I for one will be staying away from the Wildcat; I've read all the "introductions" to Islam that I can handle for two weeks. Sometimes having articles in the name of diversity can go too far, when you have so many articles on one religious faith that you actually cross the line into advocating a specific faith. Will the Wildcat be printing half a dozen articles on Christmas? I doubt the Wildcat will expose the UA community to even one guest commentary on the joys of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Nevertheless, the Wildcat should reconsider its current obsession with commentaries on Islam. I call on the Catholic Newman Center, the LDS Institute and Hillel to make their voices heard by requesting the Wildcat publish similar religious commentaries on important Christian and Jewish holidays.

Seth Frantzman
UA Alumnus

Punishments for Fox, Farmer should be equal

I would like to comment on Isaiah Fox. It seems unbalanced to me for Isaiah to get a free pass on stealing from the U-Mart. Off-campus he not only would have been arrested, but put in jail (at least until he got to court).

The university's maximum penalty of expulsion without criminal charges for such crimes seems odd to me. It also seems odd that he didn't receive a suspension from the basketball team on ethical grounds. After all, the football team lost players due to suspensions, at least one of which was for violation of team rules. This isn't about race, seeing as both men are of the same race.

It seems to me that punishments should be meted out fairly for the same kind of violations. We can't even use "sports star" as an excuse because both are. I would submit that Clarence Farmer should be allowed back on the football team in order to keep things fair and equitable.

Patrick Earl
athletics department staff member

Sex, abortion, personal issues: keep out of the law

If you or a loved one enjoy sexual intercourse but are not yet ready to start a family, it's time to raise your political consciousness.

On Wednesday Nov. 5, George W. Bush not only signed a ban on an abortion procedure that is rarely used and almost always medically necessary for the mother, but he and his associates expressed interest in further abortion restrictions in the future. Maybe he's trying to distract his conservative fan base from the war in Iraq, or maybe he's catering to the religious right. In any case, this is a political tactic that could eventually have real effects on many UA students.

Abortion is not a decision made on a whim. It's a difficult procedure, physically and emotionally, that women must resort to in hard situations. Unfortunately, many opponents of abortion are in positions of power without being in a position of true understanding of why abortion is necessary.

Sex is a personal issue. Some choose to wait until they find someone they love or even until they are engaged or married. Some enjoy sex casually. It is human nature to feel sexual desire and to act on that sexual desire, and though it does have risks and consequences, the government cannot ignore the fact that people will keep having sex before they are prepared for pregnancy. As of now, our president and many in his party are implying that women should put their unborn children before their lives and career plans or choose not to have sex at all. I urge you to consider all of these points, and think about your own sexual freedom (whether you are male or female) before voting in the next presidential election.

Laura Tate
English and creative writing sophomore

Professors deserve respect for daily contributions

In response to teachers not properly teaching classes: I think that whatever the case, the teachers are trying the best they can to help our futures be successful. Teachers aren't dumb. They had to go through a tough education in college to get to where they are today; it's not as if they aren't smart enough. They also have to take classes to "learn how to teach students." Keep in mind most of the time that they have more than one class. Also, be considerate to those teachers who have 500 people in a class - it's hard to please 500 people. As a fact, teachers are underpaid. They definitely don't get their money's worth for all the time they spend at home correcting papers until midnight. If you have a ridiculously hard teacher, that's the way college goes. In the real world, if you want something that bad, you have to fight to get it. For the most part, even if teachers don't seem like they like you, they love their students, especially if they are willing to teach for the rest of their lives.

Ashley Beko
speech and hearing sciences freshman

U.S. responsible for abroad human rights violations

This is in response to Andrew Tuohy's letter in Thursday's Wildcat. For being a political science senior, Mr. Tuohy seems to be uneducated in the history of United States economic and diplomatic policies.

Although the U.S. is not directly responsible for all the horrible human rights violations that have gone on throughout history, our government has played a part through covert operations run by the CIA. U.S. intelligence agencies have had their hand in many coups that occurred all over the world. For example, in 2000 the CIA reluctantly released documents showing their involvement in Pinochet's coup of the Chilean government which led to the deaths of many (including U.S. citizens) and brought an end to democracy in that country. Similar social injustices that have occurred can be traced back to U.S. involvement of some kind. (i.e. Sadam's takeover of Iraq).

Also, U.S. economic policies are to blame for many living under the poverty line in third-world countries. The U.S. has a choke hold on the economies of countries in Africa and Latin America through the World Bank and IMF. The debts owed to these organizations (in which the U.S. has the majority of control) cause many to go without basic necessities like food, water and healthcare.

I think Mr. Tuohy should study up a bit more on U.S. diplomacy and read the good as well as the bad before attacking anyone else. The reason why the U.S. is "the greatest country on the planet" is because we'll use any means necessary, publicly and privately, throughout the world to stay on top.

Andrea Aguirre
general biology sophomore